Sept. 14, 2009
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - The UCF volleyball team has been gearing up all season for Tuesday night's VolleyBowl II match-up against in-state rival USF. The match against the Bulls, which is scheduled to air on Bright House Sports Network, is scheduled to get underway at 7 p.m., with the first 1,000 UCF students to enter The Venue at UCF receiving a guaranteed ticket to the UCF-Miami football game on Oct. 17.
Bright House Sports Network will be airing the contest regionally on tape delay, beginning at 8 p.m. on Bright House channel 47 for digital cable subscribers. Fans can also follow all the VolleyBowl II action live on Knights All-Access and on Gametracker at UCFAthletics.com.
The Knights enter the contest against the Bulls with an 8-2 record on the season after sweeping a doubleheader from High Point and UNC Greensboro Friday night. The Black and Gold defeated the Panthers, 3-1, in the afternoon, before coming from behind to take a thrilling five-set victory from the Spartans later that evening.
Senior Erin Campbell (Kansas City, Mo.) averaged a team-best 3.00 kills per game and also notched 4.22 digs per game in the pair of contests, on her way to a week-total of 27 kills and 38 digs. Campbell registered two double-doubles in the two matches, which included 11 kills and 16 digs against High Point and a match-high 16 kills and 22 digs against UNC Greensboro. The senior has now posted a double-double in four-straight matches.
Also on an impressive streak for UCF is freshman Meredith Murphy (Austin, Texas). The libero has posted double-digit numbers in digs in the Knights' last seven matches, which includes a career-best 26-dig performance in the win at UNC Greensboro.
USF makes the short trip to Orlando with a 5-2 overall record, posting its only losses of the season last weekend while hosting the Tampa Twice Tournament at the Sun Dome. During the event, the Bulls dropped matches to both No. 4 Florida, 3-1, and No. 9 Minnesota, 3-0. Prior to hosting some of the top teams in the nation, USF was on a five-match winning streak, defeating Prairie View A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Miami, Winthrop and FAU to open the year.
Since their rivalry began in 1976, UCF and USF have battled against each other 65 total times, with the Bulls holding a 42-23 all-time advantage over the Knights. The squads last faced off in 2007, with USF sweeping the Black and Gold in three sets in Tampa, Fla.
The VolleyBowl tradition began in 2008 when UCF hosted then-No. 3 Stanford, one of the winningest programs in the nation, for the inaugural match at The Venue at UCF. On that night, the Knights entertained a record-crowd of 1,568 Black and Gold faithful in an electrifying match against the eventual 2008 NCAA national runner-up.
Season tickets for the 2009 season are still available for only $30, with the Knights hosting 13 more regular-season matches at The Venue at UCF this year.
Follow the Knights and Coach Dagenais on twitter, and also check out Coach Dagenais' Notebook and the UKnighted Volleyball Blog on the Inside UCF Volleyball page at UCFAthletics.com.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to www.UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit www.UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
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